Bob Hunter commentary: Thomas' play might allow him to turn pro

Friday

NEW ORLEANS - Life presents Deshaun Thomas with a fair share of pleasant surprises these days, and yesterday brought another one.

NEW ORLEANS - Life presents Deshaun Thomas with a fair share of pleasant surprises these days, and yesterday brought another one.

Thomas, a sophomore for Ohio State, walked out on the floor of the Superdome for his first Final Four practice, looked up and made a startling discovery.

"It's in a dome," Thomas said. "I didn't know that. I mean, I was like, 'Are we in a dome?' "

He grinned. Could it be possible that he really didn't know?

"I didn't know," Thomas said. "I just walked in and I looked and I was like, 'Is this a football field?' And everybody said, 'Yeah, the New Orleans Saints,' and I was like, 'Wow.' Like I said, it was a surprise to me. And it's so huge. It's a great feeling just being here and just seeing it."

There is a childlike innocence to the muscular 6-foot-7 forward that draws you to him. He sometimes says things that might, in print, look like bragging, but you have to be there to know that there isn't a trace of arrogance in it. He is usually smiling - he is always smiling - and the words sometimes flow like a spilled cup of coffee: They're all over the place before you know it.

Coach Thad Matta said later that he thought Thomas was "probably kidding" about not knowing that the game was in a dome, but he smiled and added, "But with Deshaun, you never know."

That is, in fact, both the beauty and the danger with Thomas. You never know.

Lately, he has been a prolific scorer - Matta said the team probably couldn't have made it to the Final Four without Thomas scoring the way he has.

His rise occurred about the same time that William Buford's offense started faltering. In the Buckeyes' seven postseason games, Thomas is averaging just over 20 points, second only to All-American Jared Sullinger.

"For me to have the relationship with Deshaun for as long we've had it, to see him playing at the level he's playing is extremely gratifying for me," Matta said. "He has grown his game. There's things he's doing now that he couldn't have done earlier in the season.

"I was riding the elevator with him today in the hotel, and he was talking about a pass he threw yesterday in practice, and I kind of did a double-take, like, 'Did you just talk about a pass you threw?' That's pretty impressive."

It's possible that the Buckeyes will have to pay the price for his rescue.

The last time an Ohio State player came on this strong at the end of the season, freshman point guard Mike Conley Jr. went from being a certain returnee to the fourth pick in the 2007 NBA draft. It is a Buckeyes fan's worst fear, but Thomas said that hasn't been a motivation for him.

"Naw, I'm just trying to play," he said. "I'm just trying to get my teammates involved, to get a national championship and to be successful out there on the court for my team and for myself. I never really thought about the NBA really. If a chance like that comes, then it's probably something I have to look at. But right now I'm just more focused on trying to get to the national championship."

Until Thomas scored 25 points at Michigan on Feb. 18, his mentor, Todd Hensley of Fort Wayne, Ind., said the two of them hadn't discussed the NBA. But now Hensley has said that they will sit down next week and at least talk about his options.

Matta will do that, too.

"I've kind of got to the point where you pride yourself in loving the group of guys you've got at a certain time," Matta said. "And all you want is what's best for them."

What's best for them now is beating Kansas on Saturday, and if they do, winning again on Monday.

"This is my dream," Thomas said. "When I was young, I always wanted to be at a Final Four, and now I'm here. And it's going to be real emotional."

Beyond that, well, you never know.

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch.

bhunter@dispatch.com

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